Gerroa House (unbuilt)

Gerroa is located on the NSW south coast, thus sharing Sydney's warm climate. However, the site itself faces south east and therefore bears the full brunt of the most brutal weather patterns as they move up the coast. The views to the sea and of these storms in particular are dramatic and make for a powerful setting.

The house is designed for a couple who have lived in another house on the site for 8 years and who therefore have an intricate understanding of the potential of the site. The design developed in part from an evaluation of these well-established patterns of use - a key aspect of which is the internalised mode of occupation of the existing house as a place for observing the landscape beyond. This led to the consideration of the house as a solid austere block form within a street that features the worst examples of the suburban brick-veneer type. The erosion of rocks by the actions of the sea in such a harsh climate was a departure point for the development of the limited openings within the block form. The face of the block is capped by a sculptural mask as a "finished" facade that establishes a monumental scale for the building within its suburban context.

Internally, the block has been conceived as a passionfruit in plan, with the clear outer layer giving way to a complex interior world where large scale joinery installations provide a layered relationship between inside and out.